squirrely

Our neighborhood is crawling with squirrels, and I admit the first time I drove Doug's carpool to the bus stop, I accidentally ran over a squirrel with the car. It was a good way for all of us to get to know each other.

Addy noticed the squirrels out our back door last week, and it's made for a daily treat for both of us.



I never thought I'd be thankful for squirrels., but they make her so happy that I hope they never stop scurrying around our backyard like bushy-tailed rats.

giving thanks

We took the non-traditional route for Thanksgiving this year. We met up with our Richmond "family" at Mimi's Cafe, most of us adults donning our ugliest sweaters.

Highlights: Josh Furniss in the red, lady's sweater, and Josh Miles still being willing to come even though he broke his collarbone that morning at the Turkey Bowl. Thank goodness for Lortab.

Perfect time for Doug to grow a creepy mustache, right?

The only time I spent in the kitchen was when Doug and I made the ugliest pumpkin pie of our baking careers. It was great to be free of the cooking and the cleaning, and it was a nice chill day... perfect for introducing Addy to turkey and counting our many blessings.

happy thanksgiving

May you be surrounded by family, friends, and teeny Addy-size paper turkeys.

feeling better

She's accepted her life.

I came in to find her chilaxing and leaning back against the crib.

"help me"

This is what I found when I came to get Addy after her nap today.


She was kneeling, holding on for dear life, and crying her eyes out. She just learned how to go from laying down to being upright, but apparently she doesn't know how to lay down again.

Life behind bars can be rough.

cowboys and aliens

What the WHAT?!

Watch this trailer and then kindly tell Doug and I what in the universe is going on.



The premise seems completely RIDICULOUS and laughable, yet there are about a million big-name, talented people involved.

Whaaaaaaat?

four years

Four pictures for four years. Pretty much sums up why I love this guy.





Happy anniversary, babe.

sticking up

The longer her hair gets, the more it wants to stick straight up. It's defying the laws of the gravity.



So since there's no fighting it, we're just going to embrace it.

Oh, and you should probably know I'm no longer in the running to be the Mother of the Year. I thought Addy was teething all weekend (she got a tooth on Friday night, and I thought maybe she was getting another). Around lunchtime yesterday I started to suspect she had an earache, so I got her in to the doctor late yesterday afternoon. Turns out she had a really REALLY ugly ear infection that'd probably been there for a few days. Hasta la vista, Mother of the Year.

thankful

Today I'm thankful that we survived doing our Branch's Primary presentation at church today. Sure there were mistakes and mix-ups, but the kids belted the songs, they said hilarious things over the pulpit, and they were proud of what they did. So was I. The Spirit was there, and it just felt good to hear the kids each have a turn to share.

One of my favorite moments? One little boy saying "My favorite prophet is President Hinckley. I like his glasses and his face. He's named after my little brother."

matt costa

On Wednesday night we celebrated our anniversary early and went to see Matt Costa up in Charlottesville. The tickets were dirt cheap because he played in the Jefferson Theater, a really small venue. We seriously loved it. He honestly sounds just as good live (or better?) as he does recorded. His band was way quirky and it was crazy to see how many different instruments they use to make their sound.

Other highlights included the people (hipster) watching, the amazing Ghiradelli hot chocolate, and the bouncer guy not believing me that I was older than 21. Good times.


If you haven't heard his music before, you should check him out. I've heard him classified as folk rock (yes, folk rock). Very easy going guy and very happy music.




PS- And a shout out to Josh and Emily who let Addy sleep at their house until we came by late, late, late at night to get her. We owe them BIG time.

tiny shoes

Stuff like this makes me happy.


Man, we love the tiny person that fills those tiny shoes.

calisthenics

Addy is almost mobile. We've even started working out together.

(Please don't be afraid of our messy floor or my gigantic booty.)

naaaaaavy

Last weekend we headed up to Annapolis, Maryland to the Naval Academy. Doug's dad and Uncle Dane went there, so Doug's parents and aunt and uncle came out for the Academy homecoming/reunion. We got to join in the festivities for a bit, and it was so cool to be a part of it.

Saturday we hit up the homecoming game, Navy vs. Duke. We discovered that this is probably the last time we bring a 9-month-old to a football game, but we still had a blast.

Posing with Billy the Goat

All the midshipmen lining up on the field before the game (apparently that's Roger Staubach in the blazer below... he's some famous football something-something)

Sweet flyover

Seats on the goal line. Nice.

She was showing off for the cheerleaders (or was her dad showing off?)

On Sunday we went to the church where Mike was attending when he got baptized. Afterwards he gave us a quick tour of the beautiful campus, namely Bancroft Hall where all the midshipmen live when they go to the Academy. Yes, all 4,000 sleep and eat in this gorgeous building.

I l-o-v-e-d all the history there. So cool.

I somehow missed the chance to get a picture of Dane and his wife Marianne, but we loved seeing them too. They spoiled us rotten when we lived in Provo, and we really miss hanging with them and their hilarious family.

smells like teen spirit

I've been suspecting for a while that since ditching my daily work attire, I now dress a little too young. And the following confirm my suspicions:

a) I can't help but love the $20 jeans Aeropostale sells from time to time. I went online to remind myself if a local mall had the store, and I couldn't find it when I kept searching the mall's women's clothing category. It took me a very very long time to find it under Teen Fashions. Yikes.

b) I stopped by Plato's Closet the other day and found this super cute sweater I coveted at Old Navy last year but never got. I was so happy. But then I noticed I was the oldest person there not shopping for my daughter and the sign in the store window said "Teen apparel." No wonder the employees were all 19.

It's been nearly a decade since I was a teenager, and I'm afraid I'm on the fast track to end up on "What Not to Wear" frantically clinging to my high school wardrobe.

dunlop girls trip

I come from a family of five girls (no brothers, thanks), and we're spread out from coast to coast. Too spread out, in my opinion. But a few weeks ago Addy and I got to spend a few days in Orlando with all the Dunlop girls... just my mom, four sisters, and a whole lotta playing.

That's right, folks, it was Dunlop Girls Trip 2010, the first of its kind.

Day 1: Meeting up at the airport, gabbing at the hotel, and collapsing into bed.



Day 2: Islands of Adventure (Universal Studios)... or more importantly the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Booya.

The park was so well done. We loved walking through Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade and checking out all the shops we know and love from the books. They really went all out with every little detail.

We also had to try butterbeer. And yes, it was really butterscotchy and rich like you'd think. And yes, I inhaled mine. It was delicious.

We ate lunch in the Three Broomsticks and

checked out the cool candy in Honeydukes... Berty Botts and Chocolate Frogs.

All the rides were AWESOME, and my favorite one was this nutso, virtual reality one inside the Hogwarts Castle. It really made me feel like a student. Although, of course, I realized there's no way I'd be in one of the cool houses at Hogwarts. Lame but true.

We also had fun in Seuss Land...

... and on the Hulk ride. SUCH a good roller coaster, and a good place for one of the workers to hit on my sister Jenn. Yikes.

The souvenir damage at the end of the day.

Day 3: Shopping and eating. Catching a movie, and shopping and eating.

We ate dinner at this Greek restaurant where I'd come a few years ago with my work. I had fun exposing my dear mother and sisters to napkin throwing, belly dancing, and modest table dancing. The music is loud and the food is authentic (which not everybody loved...), but it was a hoot. Yep, a hoot.

Day 4: Swimming in the pool, gabbing some more, and heading home.

The whole trip really hit the spot, and Addy couldn't have been more smothered in love. All this makes me feel pretty freakin' spoiled/blessed.